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Two hurt in car crash, haz-mat incident in Townsend

TOWNSEND -- Two people were injured in a single-vehicle accident on Fitchburg Road about 9:35 a.m. Tuesday that led to a hazardous-materials incident, according to police and fire officials.

A medical helicopter landed at the North Middlesex Regional High School to take the passenger to Boston Medical Center, said police Lt. David Profit. An ambulance took the driver to HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster.

The names of the victims had not been confirmed and were not immediately released. Their conditions were also not available.

Police said a 1998 Ford van was traveling north in the area of 149 Fitchburg Road, also known as Route 13, when it went off the road.

"Witnesses claimed the vehicle just went across the travel lane to the southbound lane and across to some trees, which resulted in injuries to the driver and passenger," Profit said.

Firefighters were initially told somebody was trapped in the van, but by the time they arrived the passenger had been pulled from the vehicle, said Fire Chief Donald Klein.

The vehicle hit the tree as much as 100 feet off the roadway, Klein said.

It was unclear if the victims were wearing seat belts, and there was no indication airbags deployed.

"It was full of cleaning supplies and some other stuff that was leaking and (which) we couldn't identify," Klein said.

Firefighters called in the state HazMat team, which called the state Department of Environmental Protection, he said.

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"By late afternoon we had everything out of there," Klein said.

There were no indications in an initial report of mechanical failure and it was too early to say if a medical issue played a role in the accident, Profit said

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